Suwako Moriya
frame|right Introduction The other goddess of the Moriya Shrine and a far-off ancestor of Sanae, Suwako is a Mountain Goddess with an affinity for frogs and the power to create earth in many forms. The most screwed up character you will ever meet. Somehow, being able to spit water, conjure darkness and interact with snakes (courtesy of Kanako) comes along with the 'mountain goddess' package. Suwako is blessed with a wide variety of ranged melee and dense bullet attacks. Thanks to the density of j6c and the cover provided by 22b/c, she's able to win many long range bullet battles. In addition, her ranged melee allows her to catch opponent running in. Some attacks like her Long-Arm-Long-Leg-san alt can even provide cover while moving in. Even her j5a is both meaty and can cross up. However, getting in the proper position to use it is her biggest downfall. Suwako is cursed with the poorest movement in Soku. Her ground graze is discontinuous, forcing her to block against long continuous bullets. In addition, there's a few frames both before and after her graze where she's unable to block, making her extremely vulnerable to awaiting melee attacks. Her fly is slow and can only be done in 3 directions, making closing in on the opponent difficult. While her airdash can make up for her fly's slow movement, it's not as flexible as a true fly. Even her normal ground forward movement has a large startup and forces her into the air, making her vulnerable to any air unblockable moves. As a result, Suwako is best suited for a defensive playstyle. Her movement may be poor, but against many characters, she won't have to. An effective Suwako will have to be patient, draw the opponent in with her strong bullets, and punish over aggressive opponents with her large and varied melee arsenal. Unique Features Here's a brief list of what's insane with Suwako: *Standing idle as Suwako is actually just her crouching there ready to frog hop, so she's got an even smaller hitbox... *Regular movement consists of slow hops like a frog. The forward movement puts Suwako in the air, while the backwards movement counts as still being on the ground. Like Remilia she can initiate aerial moves at the apex of her forward 'jump'. *Crouching actually conjures up a small lily pad that raises Suwako slightly into the air. All low attacks will miss her in this state. *There is a brief delay in fully entering her crouching stance. If you're trying to 2A, if you press 2 and then immediately start mashing A, you'll just cancel the crouch and use a normal ground A attack. *Pressing up (7, 8, or 9) on the lily will automatically initiate highjump frames, so she doesn't have to use the usual 27/28/29 movements other characters might. *If you're not on a lily, you can highjump like the other characters without waiting for one to pop up by holding 2. *Grazing movement on the ground puts Suwako underground, her location revealed only by her hat. This consumes no spirit. It cannot be chained and is vulnerable when you emerge from the ground. She can avoid some melee attacks this way and is still capable of doing certain special moves while underground. As of 1.10, the distance of Suwako's ground dashing no longer has two preset distances. Instead, the distance she travels depends on how long you hold down the direction she is travelling. The max distance while travelling forward has been increased significantly, while the max distance travelling backwards is the same as in 1.03. *Pressing D2 in the air will automatically have Suwako fall straight down, submerge herself underground and then graze forward as if you were doing a normal d6. Consumes 1 spirit orb. As of 1.10 this now applies to D3 and D1 too. *Flight consists of Suwako waving her arms like a maniac. As the button is held down, Suwako can be manuvered left and right, and will gradually ascend until the button is released. *You can cancel her flight and resume it in any direction as many times as long as you have at least one full orb. That's right, she has infinite flight. She is restricted to two airdashes (44 or 66) or three in tempest like other characters. *Suwako's flight drains spirit differently than other characters. Instead of a continual and gradual drain, Suwako loses 1/4 spirit for every flap she makes. *Her ground tech/roll works much like Yukari's (except underground and not extra-dimensional) and gives no visible sign of which direction Suwako will pop back up in. *Some of her skill cards seem to have different functions depending on if she's grounded, in the air, on her lily pad, or underground. Some cards are also activated from the lily pad but the actual skill cannot be. Hisoutensoku 1.10 Changes *j.2A has been changed. *j.6A now moves Suwako forward, allowing for more pressure. Also forces Suwako to dive underground if used near the ground only after landing a hit, furthering increasing her pressure game. *j.8A has been changed. *j.6C has less startup. *5C is now a mini geyser that travels across the entire screen. *New 3A move, where Suwako rides a mini frog and ends up on her lily pad. *Dial A now has an extra hit on the final hit, allowing for 2.4k damage and thus making it comboable. *2A now has less startup. *'Ancient Iron Wheel' (alt 623): Different versions in the air and lily pad. C has two extra hits. *'Monstrous Toad God' (default 623B/C): C version puts Suwako on her lily pad. *Has new directional dashes (j.1D/j.3D) *'Curse God "Red Mouth Mishaguji-sama"': Now deals 6k damage and aura spreads faster. *Backstep speed reduced. *'Rain from the Rain Frogs '(alt 214): Now deals less damage, but travels a lot faster than before. Levelling increases droplet size dramatically. *'Ancient Jade '(alt 236): Deals appx. 30% less damage. *'Source Sign "Suwa Spring Water"': 'Can now be used on lily. *'Native God "Kero-chan Braves the Elements": 'The droplets now come in bubble form and they fall slower to the ground. *j.5C and LC stones can now do damage even before they get flung. *'Native God "The Red Frog in The Fourth Year of the Houei Era": Suwako's body now has a huge hitbox around her before she makes two copies of herself. *The properties for Suwako's hoops (6B, j.6B, j.2B, 3B) have been modified. They now travel through the opponent if grazed and can bounce back at them if charged. Normal Moves Bullet Moves Note: All of Suwako's B water bullets have slight homing properties, but the farther they travel the wider their swaying arc becomes. 5B: She spits out four little water orbs, 5% limit each. 6B: Her hoop. Has two charge levels. First causes it to bounce once, second causes it to bounce twice before vanishing. Suwako moves forward a bit after throwing the hoop. She generally aims for the enemy's head, but this adjusts to a higher angle if the opponent is airborne. The angle makes it fairly poor against grounded opponents at long ranges. 2B: From her lily, she spits out five little water orbs. 3B: Hops off of her lily pad and throws an iron hoop at a downwards angle at the ground. Cannot be charged like her other hoops, but does perform one bounce automatically. Suwako moves forward to throw the hoop but flies backwards once she does throw. j.B: Spits four little water orbs, same as 5B. j.2B: Hurls a hoop at a 30 degree downwards angle. Same charge and bounce properties as 6B. After throwing the hoop, Suwako moves backwards. The aim only adjusts downwards from the initial angle (so, better for hitting targets below Suwako). j.6B: Hurls a hoop at a 5 degree downwards angle. Same charge and bounce properties as 6B, and also moves Suwako forward the same way. The aim only adjusts upwards from the initial angle (so, better for hitting targets in line or above Suwako). 5C: Suwako claps and touches her palms to the floor, causing a tremor to ripple through the ground. Travels fast, but slow startup. When it reaches the opponent it emerges as the giant hand seen in her 2A. Will work when the opponent is a little in the air, but the way the hand comes up, the part nearest the opponent has a lower hitbox, so will only work if they're moving backwards or fairly low to the ground. If you HJC or similarly stop the move, the tremor will stop and no hand will ever emerge. Will also stop without event after travelling something like 2/3 of the screen. As of 1.10, is now a geyser of water, and no longer stops with distance or cancelling. 5C: Same as 5C, but with an even slower startup, travels even faster and will not stop at 2/3 screen length. 6C: Suwako leaps forward, hurling her arms upwards. A gigantic slab of rock detaches itself from the ground, hurling diagonally up into the air. Great anti air. Very dense. Can be quickly canceled into default 22B/C to prevent Suwako from leaving the ground. 6C: Version 1.10: After a brief charging period, Suwako does her 6C but with a much broader spray of shrapnel giving vertical reach. 2C: From her lily, Suwako holds out her arms, conjuring a bunch of rocks swirling around her. Letting go of C launches the rocks. Holding it causes more rocks to appear, meaning more rocks to hit the enemy for more damage. Rocks have a hitbox even before they're flung, so they can tag people behind you and protect you from bullets. Very dense. j.5C Same as her 2C, only in the air. j.6C: Suwako flails around briefly before shooting a massive jet of water out towards the enemy with very accurate, though not perfect, aim. Has IMMENSE recoil, sending Suwako nearly to the opposite side of the screen. Very unsafe on graze unless the animation's end is flight-cancelled. 10 hits, 40% limit. As of 1.10, has much less startup and validates new combos. j.2C: Suwako falls quickly to the ground, ending up underground, instantly followed by six giant droplets of water emerging from the ground in all directions. These droplets are extremely dense. You can cancel this into 214B/C geyser a moment after going underground. Will combo for around 1,300 damage if 2C droplets had hit. Otherwise, use the geyser to make an ordinarily unsafe move safer. Special Moves NOTE: Abbreviations will be used here because of Suwako's odd fighting style. A means 'aerial', G means 'ground', U means 'underground'. This signifies where the skill can be used. Alternate Skill Cards Spellcards Combos Midscreen Midscreen BnB: 5AAA(3-4 hits) j.5B 66 j.5A(1-4 hits) j.6A ~ 2650/2750 damage Spirit Orb Usage: 1 Notes: Very tricky, but it's one of the best moves you've got if you can manage to pull it off. 5B cannot be 66'd from unless you score exactly 3 or more hits during 5AAA's air-flailing. As a note, if you manage to push the enemy into the corner with this you can potentially land during j.5A and start up a dial-A combo and finish it for 3.2k damage total. Works on: Remilla, Alice, Sanae, Reisen and Aya. BnB: 5AAA(3-4 hits) j.5B 66 j.5A(3 hits) j.5B 66 j.5A 5AAAA ~ 3700/3800 damage Spirit Orb Usage: 2 Notes: works on Remilla, Alice, Sanae, Reisen and Aya. Midscreen BnB: 5AAA(3-4 hits) j.5B 66 j.5A(3 hits) j.5B 66 j.5A 5AAA(4 hits) j.2B j.6C ~ 4047 damage Spirit Orb Usage: 2 Notes: works on Remilia, Alice, Sanae, Reisen and Aya. 5AAA(3-4 hits) j.2B j.6C ~ 2350/2450 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 2 Notes: works everywhere '''5AA 6A j.6B j.6C ~2200 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 2 Notes: j.6C usually only works near corner. Limits if everything hits. '6A j.6B j.6C ~1900 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 2 Notes: Forces limit. '(Lv 1) Ancient Iron Wheel Midscreen Combo: L3A 623B 623B 623B 623B ~ 4058 damage, 32 hits ' Spirit Orb Usage: 4 Notes: Moonsoon only, 72% limit. Corner '5AA 2A 5B 623B/C ~ 2600 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 2 Notes: Up to 4 hits possible with B, try and get them all out. The hitstun from 5A jabs and 2A lily are very brief, so be quick. B will not combo from lily 2A anywhere but in the corner. *Invalidated as of 1.10: 5AA 2A no longer exists. '''5AA 6B 6C 66 j5A j6A ~ 3017 damage Spirit Orb Usage: 2 Notes: Limits. 6C 66 j.6A j.2C ~ 2517 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 1 Notes: Works only near corner. Limits '''5AA 6A j.6B j.6C ~ 2200 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 2 Notes: A more damaging version of the above combo. The timing is a bit strict/tricky. 'j.5A j.6A j.6B alt 623 (Hoop Twirl) ~ 2000 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 2 Notes: Requires them to be slightly above you. 'CH 66B 6A j.6B ~ 1800 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 1 Notes: Brave and strong. 'j.6A (all 5 hits) j.6A (all 5 hits) j.6B ~ 1800 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 1 Notes: Use in the corner. Be careful of a small point-blank whiff range in j.6A. Limits. *Invalidated as of 1.10 due to j.6A's current properties. '214B 214C ~ 1600 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 2 Notes:Use 214B while underground. Getting used to the appropriate timing for 214C can be difficult. Cannot work from 214C start since enemy can airtech. 'j.8A 6A j.6B ~ 2000 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 1 Notes: TREES! Very easy, but damaging combo. You have to be near ground for j.8A. Limits. 'j.5B 236C 214B j.8A ~ 2400 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 3 Notes: Just like her Spellcard combo with the Stonehands, Suwako has to be about 2 characterlengths away from her enemy and all 4 waterorbs from j.5B should hit. You have to hit the enemy on j.8A with Suwako herself, not with the tree, and thus have to be close when submerging with 236C. Limits. *Invalidated as of 1.10 due to 236B/C's current properties. '5AAA(4 hits) j.2B j.6C 66 j.5A(4 hits) j.2B j.6C ~ 3400 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 3.5 Notes: Limits. 'j.66 j.5A(4 hits) 5AAA(4 hits) j.2B j.6C 66 j.5A(4 hits) j.2B j.6C ~ 3586 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 3.5 Notes: More damaging version of the above combo. Suwako have to be about 2-3 characterlengths away from her enemy. Limits. '5AAA(4 hits) j.2B j.6C 66 j.5A(4 hits) j.6A ~ 3223 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 2 Notes: Limits. '5AA 6B j.6C 66 j.5A 5AAA(4 hits) j.2B j.6C ~ 3603 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 4 Notes: Not recommend, since it is very difficult to combine j.5A with 5AAA. It is possible to do j.A before 5AA and end up with 3758 damage. Limits. 'L3A Loop: L3A L3A L3A L3A L3A L3A L3A L3A L3A L3A ~ 2650 damage ' Spirit Orb Usage: 0 Notes: Moonsoon only '(Lv 1) Ancient Iron Wheel Corner Combo: L3A 623B 623B 623B 623B ~ 4137 damage, 33 hits ' Spirit Orb Usage: 4 Notes: Moonsoon only, 74% limit. Corner combos for 1.10 '''5AAA(4 hits) j.2B j.6C 66 j.5A(4 hits) j.2B j.6C 236B/C ~ 3734 damage '''Spirit Orb Usage: 4.5 Notes: Requires default 236B/C. If you want to maximize damage, time it right so that j.6C hits four times for 136% limit. If you 236B/C too late, combo will limit at 100% and 236B/C will miss. '''j.66 j.5A(4 hits) 5AAA(4 hits) j.2B j.6C 66 j.5A(4 hits) j.2B j.6C 236B/C ~ 3868 damage Spirit Orb Usage: 4.5 Notes: Same as the above. Spell Card f.5A Frog Hunting "Frog is Swallowed by The Snake due to The Croak" ~3600 damage Spirit Orb Usage: 0 Notes: Corner. May not work on some of the heavier characters. This also works when you do 2A before your lily pops up. CH j.8A Frog Hunting "Frog is Swallowed by The Snake due to The Croak" ~4000 damage Spirit Orb Usage: 0 Notes: Near Corner. 5AA 5B (4 hits) 6C Frog Hunting "Frog is Swallowed by The Snake due to The Croak" ~4300 damage Spirit Orb Usage: 2 Notes: Same as above, works best if close to the corner. Make sure all 4 water orbs hit or they'll unstun and graze out. 6C cancel Frog Hunting "Frog is Swallowed by The Snake due to The Croak" ~ 4535 damage Spirit Orb Usage: 1 Notes: Works good near corner. CH f.5A Curse God "Red Mouth Mishaguji-sama" ~3800 damage Spirit Orb Usage: 0 Notes: Corner only. L3A Spring Sign "Jade of the Horrid River" ~3500 damage Spirit Orb Usage: 0 Notes: Closer to the corner the better, requires practice to time it right. Suwako's clap should hit them before they touch the ground, holding them in place for the flood. L3A L3A L3A L3A L3A L3A L3A Spring Sign "Jade of the Horrid River" ~4200+ damage Spirit Orb Usage: 0 Notes: Works only in Moonsoon weather, use it near a corner j.2C Spring Sign "Jade of the Horrid River" ~3300-3600 damage Spirit Orb Usage: 1 Notes: You don't have to be in melee range when you submerge with j.2C. Damage varies, depending on how many water orbs hit. j.5B 236B/C Party Start "Two Bows, Two Claps and One Bow" ~3200 damage Spirit Orb Usage: 2 Notes: Suwako has to be 2-3 character lengths away from her enemy. All 4 waterorbs should hit. Whether you use the B or C version of 236 depends on how far you're away from your enemy, it's usually easier using the C version though. Works in both corner and midscreen. Quite impractical. 5AA 6A 236B Party Start "Two Bows, Two Claps and One Bow" ~3000 damage Spirit Orb Usage: 1 Notes: Much easier and more reliable than the above combo. Works in both corner and midscreen, the spellcard has to be delayed a bit if executed in midscreen though. Native God "The Red Frog in The Fourth Year of Houei Era" f.5A/Ground 2A - 3533 damage Spirit Orb Usage: 0 Notes: Guaranteed 2A/f.5A hit because enemy cannot tech after SC. Suwako must be close to where the enemy will land to hit. 100% limit. If you are slightly farther away (about 1.5 - 2 character lengths), cancel into j.6A for around 4k damage. 66 632B L3A 632B 632B 5AA A (2 hits) 632B "Source Sign "Suwa Spring Water" ~ 4221 damage, 50 hits ''' Spirit Orb Usage: 3.5 Notes: Corner combo, requires Lv 1 Ancient Iron Wheel Skillcard and Moonsoon weather. 100% Limit. Spacing Suwako's spacing is different from most other characters. Here are some tips to help with her awkward movement. Suwako can jump or attack at any time while moving backwards. Her back hop is quite fast, so if the opponent is trying to attack at close range, she can sometimes dodge by hopping just out of range and then immediately countering with 5A. This is also useful if you are very close to the opponent but don't wish to attack with the regular jab string. Her regular hop walk is vulnerable at all times, and you can't air dash right away. You can, however, attack immediately as soon as she leaves the ground. Try to keep in the air at all times so it's easier to dodge bullets. Suwako should either be hopping or on her lilly pad if she wants to have a safe way to escape from projectiles. Her forward dash is unsafe and easilly baited if it's used to dodge projectiles. Pressing 6 to hop and then immediately air dashing is often more effective. Once airborn, Suwako can pressure decently well at this height with j.5A, j.6A and air dashes. Using this combination she can mostly stay on a horizontal plane while attacking for quite a while before she needs to come down to land. Suwako's 6A can be cancelled into normal bullets or specials on block, as can her j.8A tree attack. Since these are melee attacks. Due to the interesting properties of these moves, they can be used very effectively to escape or pressure so long as the opponent is in a position where they will block or be hit by the move. As they're melee attacks and can't be grazed, this can be quite effective if done correctly. Blockstrings and setups Suwako's close range pressure game isn't half bad when she gets the momentum. She may not have reliable ways to deal chip or spirit damage like Reisen or Tenshi's blockstrings do, but what strings she can do are fairly airtight. All these are for the corner, since attempting them midscreen may not be safe. '''5AAA(3-4 hits) j.5B 66 j.5A j.6A j.5B 66 j.5A, land, repeat is a pretty basic blockstring. If you have her alternate 623 laserbeam skill card it can be added after the j.6A for some chip damage but only at certain angles. When Suwako dashes in with j.5A she comes down at such an angle with a meaty hitbox that the opponent rarely has any way to counter or escape. 5AA 6A j.6B 66 j.5A, land, repeat j.5A j.8A j.5B 66 j.5A j.8A j.5B 66 j.5A, land (with any alt 236 skill card other than the default, as it's unsafe on block) 5AA 6A j.6B j.2C 236B chip damage. If you're using the jade skill card, this string can be further followed up with an airdash into j.5A and so on. 5AAA(1-4hits) j.5B 66 j.5A, land, repeat 5AAA(1-4hits) j.5B 44 j.8A j.5B 66 j.5A, land, repeat 5AA j.2B j.6C 66 j.5A(j.2B j.6C 66 j.5A), land, repeat 5AA 5B hjc8 j.5B 66 j.5A, land, repeat 5AA hjc9 j.6A j.5B 66 j.5A, land, repeat 5AA 2A LB 66 j.5A, land, repeat 5AA 2A L3A LB 66 j.5A, land, repeat 5AA 2A LB 44 j.8A j.5B 66 j.5A, land, repeat 5A 2A LB 66 j.5A, land, repeat 5A 2A L3A LB 66 j.5A, land, repeat 5A 6A j.5B 66 j.5A, land, repeat 5A 6A j.5B 44 j.8A j.5B 66 j.5A, land, repeat 5A 6C 66 j.5A j.8A j.5B 66 j.5A, land, repeat *Note: All combos that begin with 5AA 2A are invalidated in 1.10, as this move no longer exists. 1.10 Blockstrings Midscreen: 5AAA(3-4 hits) j.5B 66 j.5A(3-4 hits) j.5B 66 j.5A 5AAA(3-4 hits) j.2B j.6C 66 j.5A(3-4 hits) j.2B j.6C Midscreen: 5AAA(3-4 hits) j.5B 66 j.5A(3-4 hits) j.5B 66 j.5A(1-4 hits) j.6A(dive underground) 66B j.6C 66 j.5A(3-4 hits) 5AAA(3-4 hits) j.2B j.6C Corner: 5AAA(3-4 hits) j.2B j.6C 66 j.5A(3-4 hits) j.6A j.6B j.6C 66 j.5A(3-4 hits), land, repeat Corner: f.5A 3A 5B 66 j.5A 5AAA(3-4 hits) j.2B j.6C 66 j.5A(4 hits) j.2B j.6C 66 j.5A(4 hits) j.6A *Note: Assuming that your opponent only blocks high, you can continue the entire string and turn it into a combo. 30 hit, 2526 damage, 112% limit. Alternatively, you can switch out j.6A for default 236B/C for a tiny bit of extra damage. Note: I highly doubt you're gonna have to use the entire string for any of these, but I'm just putting extra moves for good measure (you know, in case your opponent actually blocks correctly throughout).